Welcome to our article featuring Victorian's BBQ in Mart, TX, owned and operated by none other than Joey Victorian. You may recognize Joey as a talented pitmaster and a familiar face from his appearance on the popular Netflix series, "Barbecue Showdown."
Joey Victorian
With his expertise and passion for barbecue, Joey has created a culinary haven at Victorian's BBQ. Located in the heart of Mart, this not-to-be-missed barbecue destination offers an unforgettable dining experience.
Join me as I recap our trip out to Victorian's BBQ, where the tantalizing aroma of smoked meats, the warm hospitality, and the talents of Joey Victorian combine to create a truly exceptional culinary experience.
Related: The BEST BBQ In Waco
THE DRIVE TO VICTORIAN'S BBQ
Windmills in Mart, TX
The drive out to Victorian's BBQ from Waco was a short and sweet ride. Once you're on the East Side of Waco, it's largely wide-open fields owned by the various farmers, ranchers and other stakeholders holding onto their land while it continues to appreciate as a result of Waco's growth and expansion.
The closer you get to Mart, TX, the more you'll notice the windmills dotting the horizon; some spinning, some not. Once you arrive in Mart, it kind of just appears in front of you.
Mart, TX is a quintessential historic Texas town that, much like many other rural Texas towns, was deeply influenced in its growth (and decline) based on where the railroads decided to operate.
Unfortunately, Mart experienced both sides of the coin. The railroads once connected both passengers and freight between Waco, Mart, and beyond, only to later rescind passenger service, and ultimately, freight too. Now, a historic railroad car sits idly on the side of the road; a memory of what once was.
Despite the railroad highs and lows, Mart, TX has held tough and consistently maintains a population of roughly 2,000 people to this day (it reached 3,800 at peak growth).
PARKING & ACCESSIBILITY
Victorian's BBQ is located right in the middle of town right on the main road (E Texas Ave). Parking is readily available nearby, including street parking located right in front, and along the side of the restaurant.
The restaurant is handicap accessible, and there is a ramp at the front leading up the sidewalk to get inside. My son is in a wheelchair, and we had no issues getting in and out.
Just keep in mind that the restaurant is small, so space and seating is limited already even without a wheelchair.
HOURS OF OPERATION
Victorian's BBQ is open from Thursday through Saturday from 11:30AM - 3 PM (or until sold out). When we arrived at 11:10 AM, there were already a few people in line. By 11:30 AM on a Saturday morning, there were multiple families in line.
THE MENU AT VICTORIAN'S BBQ
When we went to Victorian's BBQ, the menu consisted of:
Brisket
Ribs
Sausage
Chicken
Sides (corn, beans, mac n' cheese, etc)
Drinks
Complimentary bread, pickle slices and a variety of BBQ sauces are available at the self-service bar after you place your order.
The menu varies slightly from day to day due to availability and other constraints involved in the barbecue restaurant business. I felt like the menu - on the day we went - was somewhat limited to what I've seen offered via their social media updates on other days.
PRICE RANGE & VALUE
The price range at Victorian's BBQ was somewhat surprising. I was expecting the prices to be a little higher given Joey Victorian's visibility and exposure on Netflix as a pitmaster competitor, but they weren't. The BBQ prices were rather normal.
I'm not complaining - that was a pleasant surprise!
Ribs at Victorian's BBQ
We ordered:
Chicken
Ribs
Brisket
Sausage
Sides
Drinks
Four of us (2 adults, 2 kids) were full on an order of just $60, including the drinks. And there were plenty of leftovers that we incorporated into our dinner later on at home. So, for $15/person, we ate two meals. That comes out to about $7.50/person per meal. Not bad for good BBQ!
VIBE & ATMOSPHERE
I joined the line outside of Victorian's BBQ as people waited for it to open up on a Saturday morning. Joey Victorian was the one to open the door and greet everybody as they came inside.
He was very pleasant to interact with even though he had probably already been up since the early hours of the morning, and had likely just spent a significant amount of time preparing for the day.
I imagine he was already exhausted. But despite that, throughout our entire experience he was chatting with everybody who came through the line, answering questions, etc.
The team on the front line was equally engaging and fun to chat with.
As a photographer, sometimes I feel bad because my camera is constantly clicking away and pointing in the direction of everybody around me. But Joey said that he welcomes the lenses and the clicks and he appreciates when people take photos of his food, and help spread the word about his bbq restaurant.
So I kept snapping away.
Everybody else working there was also very nice and and overall it was a great experience.
The interior is rustic, western, and very much Texas-themed. It's pretty much what I expect any rural Texas bbq restaurant should look and feel like inside. And very tastefully done!
The only thing I wish they had was outdoor seating, but due to the location I don't think that's even an option for Victorian's BBQ...
REVIEWS & TESTIMONIALS
This article is not in any way sponsored by Victorian's BBQ. My reviews are never sponsored, and if I were to do a sponsored article of any kind, I would disclose it at the top of the page.
Although Joey Victorian has been doing BBQ for a while, Victorian's BBQ as a restaurant is a relative newcomer to the world of TX barbecue, so they have limited reviews online at the moment. With the reviews they do have, they're sticking pretty close to a 5-Star rating.
It's not uncommon to see some reviews that even go so far as to say, "Best BBQ in Texas". And in Texas, those are fightin' words.
My personal take is that Victorian's BBQ is delicious, and I will absolutely be back. It's totally worth the 20 minute drive for anybody who lives in Waco.
TAKEOUT, DELIVERY & CATERING
Victorian's BBQ currently offers catering, but no delivery. You can order BBQ "to go", too.
PAYMENT METHODS ACCEPTED
There are some BBQ places in Texas that only accept cash for payment, but Victorian's BBQ accepts debit, credit, and cash.
IN CONCLUSION
Overall, our visit was well worth the 20 minute drive East from Waco. The brisket was moist and delicious with a nice bark, the chicken was flavorful and practically fell right off the bone, while the sausage had a nice zing to it. The ribs were a little too fatty for my liking, but the overall flavor was perfect.
The kids LOVED the mac n' cheese, and they didn't shy away from the beans either. My wife and I were not AS impressed with the sides as the kids were, but we weren't there for the sides - we were there for the barbecue.
And that's what we'll be going back for soon at Victorian's BBQ in Mart, TX.